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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · ground · mouse · pound · fine · rest · board · sharp

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. board — a committee
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com